Lebanon and Israel to hold first direct diplomatic talks in decades in
Washington
[April 14, 2026]
By KAREEM CHEHAYEB and MATTHEW LEE
BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon and Israel are set to hold the first direct
diplomatic talks in decades on Tuesday in Washington following more than
a month of war between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group that has
rocked the tiny Mediterranean country.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will take part in the talks in
Washington with Israeli Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter and
Lebanese Ambassador to the U.S. Nada Hamadeh Moawad.
At least 2,089 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon,
the Health Ministry said, among them 252 women, 166 children and 88
medical workers, while 6,762 others were wounded. More than 1 million
people are displaced.
The Lebanese government hopes the talks will pave the way to an end to
the war. While Iran has set ending the wars in Lebanon and the region as
a condition for talks with the United States, Lebanon insists on
representing itself.
Hezbollah and critics are skeptical and believe Lebanon's government in
Beirut has no leverage and should take advantage of the position of
Iran, the group's key ally and patron.
The Israeli military continues an invasion into southern Lebanon, which
some Israeli officials have said aims to create a depopulated “security
zone” from the border to the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20
miles). Iran-backed Hezbollah, though weakened in its last war with
Israel that ended in November 2024, still fires drones, rockets and
artillery daily into northern Israel and on ground troops inside
Lebanon.
The Israeli and Lebanese governments are meeting to discuss ways to
ensure long-term security on Israel’s northern border and support for
Lebanon seeking to take control of its territory and political future
from Iran-backed Hezbollah, a U.S. State Department official said.
They will be the first talks between the two since 1993, according to
the official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on
condition of anonymity.
Lebanon's top political authorities, critical of Hezbollah's decision to
fire rockets towards Israel on March 2 in solidarity with Iran, quickly
proposed direct talks in a bid to stop the escalation, hoping that
Israel would not launch its ground invasion.
[to top of second column]
|
Mohammed, 8, cries next to the coffin of his father, Hussein Makkah,
during the funeral of 13 state security officers killed the previous
day in an Israeli strike in Lebanon’s coastal city of Sidon,
Lebanon, Saturday, April 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
Israel did not respond positively until last week, after it launched
100 strikes across the country, including in the heart of the
Lebanese capital.
Beirut wants a truce as a prerequisite to talks, similar to
Pakistan-brokered negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
“Israel’s destruction of Lebanese territories is not the solution,
nor will it yield any results,” said President Joseph Aoun Monday,
who came to power vowing to disarm non-state groups including
Hezbollah. “Diplomatic solutions have consistently proven to be the
most effective means of resolving armed conflicts globally.”
Israel has ruled out a ceasefire.
"We will not discuss a ceasefire with Hezbollah , which continues to
carry out indiscriminate attacks against Israel and our civilians,”
Shosh Bedrosian, a spokeswoman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu, said Monday.
Hezbollah and its supporters have been critical, calling it a free
concession to Israel.
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Kassem delivered a fiery speech
calling on Lebanon to cancel the talks. Hezbollah wants a return to
the 2024 agreement under which talks were conducted indirectly with
the U.S., France and the United Nations peacekeeping mission in
southern Lebanon as mediators.
___
Lee reported from Washington.
All contents © copyright 2026 Associated Press. All rights reserved |
